


The Elegance of Volleyball

by ShadowedByDarkness



Category: Haikyuu!!, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Crack Pairing, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I love this ship, M/M, Stupidity, Tanaki, and they all be crack, flustered Tanaka, other ships to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-26 04:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6223171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowedByDarkness/pseuds/ShadowedByDarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A crack ship that was born from a typo... just give it a shot. I mean really what's the harm?<br/>Just imagine it, Tanaka in a suit at Tamaki's fancy parties, Tamaki dragging the whole host club to Karasuno's matches and having no idea what's going on. Kyouya and Suga exchanging parenting notes, Yachi and Haruhi meeting each other... yeah. Just give it a quick flick through, I dare you ;)</p><p>This is essentially a series of various head canons as and when they occur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It all starts with a doorstop

The Ouran Host Club is where the school’s handsomest boys with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as the Ouran Academy’s elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful. So naturally when Tanaka lost a bet with Nishinoya the forfeit was to infiltrate the rumoured host club and take their doorstop. Nothing major just a petty doorstop, a simple slice of wood that every classroom in every school has. Right? Wrong. For at the prestigious Ouran High school their doorstops were made from silver, each personalised depending on the room and encrusted with a precious jewel.

The doorstop to music room three was a delicate rose with a red stone at its centre. Tanaka figured it was a ruby but he honestly had no idea. However having spotted his target he suddenly became incredibly anxious. After all this wasn’t just some wooden block like he had first thought it would be. Perhaps he could just buy a doorstop from the shop and tell Nishinoya that he took it from Ouran. He wouldn’t be able to prove otherwise. That sounded like a much better plan and Tanaka chuckled darkly to himself. He pressed his back against the wall and looked around with quick flicks of his head. Having seen no one around, he shuffles back across the landing and starts making his way down the stairs humming the theme to Mission Impossible as he did so.

Suddenly another voice joined his own as someone harmonised with him, matching his sneaky movements. Tanaka froze causing the other person to crash into them with a small shout. Tanaka lost his balance and would have fallen head first down a flight of stairs if it hadn’t been for the hand on his elbow. Yanking his arm away and letting out a spluttered apology Tanaka spun around until he was face to face with his saviour. His jaw fell open as he took in the soft pink lips and blue eyes that were smiling down at him. Suddenly he lost the ability to speak as his tongue hung uselessly in his mouth. The only other person who could render him in such a state was Kiyoko and she was nowhere to be seen. The crystal eyed being parted his lips, he was about to speak. Tanaka waited with baited breath at what was about to be said.

“Hello there, I am Tamaki Suoh the president of the Ouran high school host club. And who might you be my poor bald peasant?”

Tanaka’s expression immediately soured, his eyebrow raising automatically as he forgot where he was and let out the first thing he thought of in retaliation, “Listen here city boy, if you look down on me I’ll chew you up and spit you out.” With each word Tanaka pressed his face closer to Tamaki’s tilting his head from one side to the other.

Tamaki shrunk back not used to someone invading his personal space in such a manner. Of course he regularly chooses to share his space with the beautiful maidens of Ouran, but never had a stranger pushed into it. People were usually too intimidated by his handsome face, and if that didn’t put them off his father’s status certainly did. Tamaki watched the colour drain out of Tanaka’s face as he stumbled down two steps, clutching at the banister. Before Tamaki gets the chance to respond to Tanaka’s threat the bald boy is already retreating, bounding down the stairs like a possessed spaniel. A shout of apology was thrown over his shoulder as he ran through the hallway towards the window he had used to climb in.

Tamaki chuckled, there was no way he was going to let such a strange and interesting person get away without even knowing their name. So he chased him. Instead of running down the stairs Tamaki chose to glide down the banister, not only was it more fun but having practised on his own grand staircase at home it was far quicker. Once he reached the bottom he darted after the retreating form of the other boy. His long legs ate the distance between them and he soon caught up to Tanaka and tackled him to the ground. “You are going to be my friend.” He stated, wrapping his arms and legs around Tanaka’s body and locking his grip so there was no way to escape.

Tanaka struggles against Tamaki’s grip but finds no weakness in it. During his flailing Tanaka exclaims “What the hell, let go of me! Why are you so damn strong?!” A number of students had gathered in the corridor and were staring as Tamaki and Tanaka rolled on the floor, one desperately trying to get away while the other holds them in place with an iron grip. As Tanaka continues to shout about how Tamaki should let him go, the blond simply repeats that he wants Tanaka to be his friend.

When two perfectly polished black leather shoes stopped right by their heads Tamaki and Tanaka couldn’t help but look up. A dramatic expulsion of air that just had to be accompanied with a roll of the eyes as the newcomer glared down and the struggling pair. His arms were folded across a clipboard and his black hair combed into a slick neat style. The light was reflecting off of his glasses caused Tanaka to be unable to see his eyes. A frown etched into his features at the prospect of having to defend himself against two crazy rich boys. Tamaki on the other hand lit up like a Christmas tree. “Kyouya!”

Despite the enthusiastic greeting Tamaki’s arms, much to Tanaka’s dismay, remained firmly locked. “Tamaki. What are you doing?” Kyouya replied in a bored tone.

“Making friends.” Tamaki smiled sweetly as he squeezed Tanaka tighter. Kyouya raised his eyebrow at the sight before fixing Tanaka with a cold stare. “Honestly, you should just give up now.” Tanaka’s eyes grew comically wide as he ground his teeth together in irritation. Letting out a small puff of air he went completely limp and lay on the floor lamely. Tamaki loosened his grip with a triumphant smile plastered on his face. But that smile was short lived when he noticed that Tanaka wasn’t moving. He poked him in ribs but received no reaction. With his panic rising Tamaki looked desperately to Kyouya his eyes brimming with tears. “DID I KILL HIM? IS HE DEAD? OH POOR BALD PEASENT MAY YOUR SOUL BE FREE!” he wailed.

Kyouya rolled his eyes and chuckled darkly, “Maybe he’ll haunt you for all eternity.”

“WHAT?!” Tamaki screeched, he never was good with ghosts.

While this conversation was going on Tanaka slowly eased one eye open. His gaze darted towards the window. Conveniently it was open and a branch of a cherry blossom was within jumping distance. As he look back towards the rich boys Tanaka held back a laugh. The blond one was flailing frantically and chanting some form of unintelligible gibberish while the other simply continued calmly filling in whatever was on his clipboard. The two couldn’t have been more different. However both were equally distracted.

In one movement Tanaka jumped up and threw himself out of the window shouting “Hasta LA Vista suckers” at the top of his lungs. Snagging a branch in one hand and swinging to safety. Quickly shimmying down the tree Tanka hit the ground running, his head was thrown backwards as he barked a laugh. Tamaki was shouting out of the window, his arms flailing; Kyouya’s hand fisted in the back of his shirt preventing him from falling. Tanaka sprinted towards the main gate, which to his horror, he saw slowly closing. Pushing himself to go faster his feet pounded against the pavement, he could totally make it. A roar ripped out of his throat as he flung his body towards the gate. He had made it! He was free!

Well… at least part of him was.

Frowning Tanaka pushed against the metal bars that had locked around his waist. He struggled against the gate’s grip but his hips were firmly stuck on the opposite side to his head. He heard a familiar laugh drift from around the corner. His head snapped in the direction of the sound and he saw Nishinoya bent in half and clutching at his stomach. “Stop laughing and help me!” Tanaka growled as he continued to attempt to tug himself free. Still sniggering Nishinoya walked over and tried to prise apart the gate grunting with effort. “You’re such an idiot, all you had to do was grab a doorstop!”

Tanaka fell silent and rubbed the back of his neck whistling. Which was a pretty absurd sight considering he was bent in half and stuck in a gate. “You did get the doorstop, right?” Nishinoya raised an eyebrow as, for once, he stared down at Tanaka.

The other boy refused to make eye contact and his lips pushed together into a pout. “Not exactly…”

A cheeky grin split across Nishinoya’s face and the mischievous twinkle that was a permanent feature in his eyes grew brighter “Well, good luck with the gate! See you at practice” he threw over his shoulder as he bounded away, a spring in his step.

“Nishinoya!!” Tanaka cried as he watched his partner in crime leave him in his hour of need. Just as one pair of footsteps faded, more grew closer. There was obviously far more than one person, unless that person was an octopus there were far too many footsteps. Tanaka stretched and twisted to see who was approaching behind him.

“Ne Kaoru who’s the guy stuck in the gate?”

“I don’t know Hikaru, just some pitiful idiot I’m sure.”

“Do you think he likes strawberries? Strawberries are my favourite, if he doesn’t like strawberries I don’t think we can be friends. But I want to be friends with gate guy he looks fun. Takashi, do you think you could help him? It can’t be comfortable to have your head stuck in a gate… unless the gate was to a sweet shop, then I don’t think I would mind. But only if the sweets were in reach, if they were too far away for me to reach that would be sad. Takashi wouldn’t that be sad?”

Mori nodded silently running a hand through Honey’s blond hair as he strode across to the gate. With the sound of heavy footsteps approaching Tanka pulled against the metal bars with more ferocity that ever before. The hinges rattled as he tried with all his might to free himself, however the rest of the gate refused to cooperate. Mori shook his head with a small smirk plastered across his face. Gripping onto either side of the gate Mori prised it apart, the motor groaning as it was forced to move without electricity.

As the cold grip of the gate loosened Tanaka wiggled and clawed at the floor, pulling his body forwards. Once the gate was past his hips Tanaka sprang out of the metal clutches shouting “I’m free!” He sprinted away down street.

Tamaki whipped around to face the Hikaru and Kaoru with his arm outstretched pointing towards Tanaka’s retreating form, “Devil twins, attack!”

Without a second glance Hikaru sped off after the escaping boy while Kaoru drops to one knee pulling out a slingshot from his back pocket. He lined up the shot with the back of Tanaka’s fuzzy head. He pulled back the sling and shouted the countdown to Hikaru. When he reached zero he released the sling and Hikaru ducked as the paint pellet whizzed through the air. Bright pink paint splattered across the back of Tanaka’s head and he let out a shout. He stumbled forward a couple of steps but didn’t go down. Kaoru clicked his tongue at Tamaki’s impatient squawk. “’s’ll right boss. We got this.” Kaoru loaded another pellet, keeping another within his grasp. He took aim and prepared for a rapid shot. He called to Hikaru again and fired, one shot after the other. The first missed as Tanaka stepped to the side dodging it swiftly. He turned to face them and laugh as he continued backwards. The second pellet however, hit home. A pink splatter burst across Tanaka’s crotch. His eyes widened and a high pitched yelp escaped his lips. His hands instantly dropped to cover the area as he fell to his knees.

The host club boys all flinched and a sympathetic “oo” rose collectively from the group. Kaoru winced and mumbled “He wasn’t supposed to turn around.”

Tanaka pressed his head to the concrete as he let out a groan. Hikaru stood next to him and patted him on the back softly. The rest of the host club boys approached slowly, like they were confronting a wild animal. Honey crouched and peered at Tanaka, his head cocked to the side “u-um… gate guy, I have a strawberry, they always make me feel better and they are my favourites but I don’t mind giving it to you. It might make you feel better.”  He unfurled his hand and sitting in the centre was one perfect red strawberry. Tears pooled in the corners of Tanaka’s eyes but he raised his head a tight smile in place, “Thank you tiny blond boy” he ground out through clenched teeth. Honey beamed at him a light pink dusting his cheeks.

Tamaki stopped in front of Tanaka’s hunched form with a soft smile “Do you think you can stand?”

Tanaka nodded slowly, taking Tamaki’s extended hand in his rough calloused ones. He pulled himself to his feet, blowing out a breath as he did so. He remained hunched over for a moment before straightening with only a small grimace and a thumbs up. “I’m good.”

“I don’t believe I ever got your name, bald gate man” Tamaki stated, flanked by both Kyouya and Mori. Cherry blossom petals seemed to swirl perfectly around Tamaki’s head like halo, the sunlight highlighted his face until his skin glowed. Tanaka squinted at the sparkling figure before him and opened his mouth to respond but nothing but a croak came out. It felt as though his tongue was too big for his mouth and all that came out was a series of blubs. Not even Kiyoko made him this tongue tied, in fact usually he couldn’t stop talking around her. This was a whole different matter entirely. Tanaka Ryuunosuke reduced to mere noises simply at the sight of one individual? Not even a possibility. And yet, here he was gaping like a fish.

Kyouya sighed and rolled his eyes stepping forward, the light bouncing off his glasses. “Though I don’t have any qualms with referring to you as a bald peasant I’m sure it will quickly lose its charm. So if you would be so kind as to introduce yourself we would greatly appreciate it.” His tone was bored and dripping with sarcasm.

Tanaka’s eyes flickered to the bespectacled boy and the dumb look washed off of his face. He snorted a sneer fighting its way onto his face, but he introduced to himself anyway “Tanaka Ryuunosuke, second year at Karasuno high school.”

Tamaki smiled widely “Welcome to Ouran high school Tanaka! I have already introduced myself however I don’t think you have had the pleasure of formally meeting my fellow members of the host club.” He gestured to the boys that were surrounding them.

“The cool, cold, calculating man with the fine frames is Kyouya Ootori.” Kyouya adjusted his glasses and nodded in acknowledgement.

“The tall, strong and silent man is Takashi Morinosuka, but we all just call him Mori. The small, tooth rotting-ly sweet man that is hanging from his shoulder and offered you a strawberry is Mitsukuni Haninozuka, we call him Honey.” Living up to his description Mori remains quiet but offers a soft smile and a raised hand. Honey on the other hand was waving like a lunatic with a cheeky grin on his face.

“Honey sounds way cuter! Don’t you think?” The blond boy tilted his head to the side like a puppy and gave another smile, it must have been infectious because Tanaka found himself smiling right back.

“The terrible twosome over there are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, if you ever need a hand with a prank they are the ones to call.” The twins winked and shot at Tanaka with finger guns, their lips twisted into devilish smirks.

“And lastly, the newest member of our club, the darling Haruhi Fujioka. Be they in a suit or a dress they are flawless and have people flocking.” Tamaki finished with a wink in Haruhi’s direction earning him an elbow in the ribs.

Tanaka nods his hellos. He pulled his eyebrows together and let out a huff, he raised his gaze to rest on Tanaka’s “This may be a strange request… but can I take a doorstop?”

Before Kyouya could even dispute it Tamaki was already agreeing and ratting off questions to go with it, “We don’t even use it anyway. But why do you want it? Do you collect doorstops? That is an awfully strange thing to collect. Is it a common thing to collect things among commoners? Do you collect things Haruhi?”

Tanaka suddenly felt overwhelmed, he should be used to rapid talking people by now considering he is acquainted with Hinata, Bokuto and Nishinoya, but no. It still took him a few moments to decode what the blond was babbling about, Haruhi on the other hand was way ahead of him.  “Tamaki, tone it down. You’re probably scaring him. And no not everyone collects things, I highly doubt that he’s collecting doorstops, why would you even do that? I don’t collect anything no.”

Tanaka blinked blankly for a second before he fully processed what had happened. Kyouya chuckled, “Well you’re not the sharpest tool in the box are you? He’s a good match for you Tamaki.”

“Heyy!” The two T’s chorused.

Tanaka blew out a huff a small bush dusting his cheeks, being compared to the blond prince wasn’t necessarily something he was against. At that moment Tamaki decided to lock eyes with him, his blue orbs colliding with Tanaka’s brown. His light blush deepened, turning quickly from a pink to red, however he was not alone, Tamaki’s cheeks were undergoing the same colour change. Tanka cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck tearing his eyes away, “Ah, anyway, about that doorstop…”

Tamaki jumped out of his dazed state, “Oh, yes, of course! Haruhi could you go get it?”

Haruhi raised their eyebrow, folding their arms across their chest, “What did your last slave die of? Go and get it yourself.” They tilted their head in the direction of the school to emphasise their point.

Kyouya smirked as Tamaki’s eyes widened in horror. “A-are you back chatting me? When did my child grow to be so lippy? Where did I go wrong?! Kyouyaaaa, Haruhi got sarcastic with me!” He exclaimed in a panicked flourish of dramatics. Tanaka stood looking between the three of them in turn, the whole situation held a remote resemblance to the team. Of course it wasn’t as obvious back at Karasuno, Daichi and Suga didn’t run around calling everyone their children but their parental roles were pretty obvious. The nicknames Dad-chi and Suga-mama were in common use amongst the team members, it was all a long running joke. None of them, however, took it as seriously as this rich boy seemed to.

Tanaka found himself chuckling at the whole situation. He brought a hand up to his mouth in order to muffle the sound, unfortunately he royally failed. While he was chuckling to himself a certain member of the host club was watching. No longer pouting over his impolite ‘child’ Tamaki was now watching the boy as he laughed whole heartedly. The sight brought a fond smile to his face. For someone whose head looked like a potato he was very cute. “Cute potato” Tamaki said out loud before his brain could process what he was saying. The twins looked at Tamaki, then to Tanaka and then back to Tamaki, mischievous smiles spread across their faces.

Out of the corner his eye Kyouya spotted the devil twins’ twisted smirks, he knew that look well. That was the look they got when they were plotting something, and considering it came about after Tamaki’s muttered compliment he had a pretty good idea of what it involved. There was no way he was going to miss out. “Tamaki, why don’t you take Tanaka to the club room and retrieve the doorstop? We will wait for you here.” He said adjusting his glasses and sending the twins a sidelong glance.

At the sound of Kyouya’s voice Tamaki snapped out of his daze and blinked blankly for a moment. “Huh? Oh, yes that’s fine. Off we go Tanaka!” Tamaki grabbed Tanaka’s hand and tugged him back into the school. Walking through the main doors left Tanaka speechless. The flawless white marble shone like the gates of heaven, the paintings that graced the walls seemed to come alive whenever you gazed upon them; the lights that hung from the ceiling were made of sparkling crystal that must cost the price of his house. There were busts of armless figures lining the walls, each one held a different expression of bliss. It was as though they themselves had fallen in love with the pedestals were they sat. The plush carpet looked as though it had been put down that day and was re-done each evening by small pixies that hid in the woodwork. Tanaka wouldn’t have been surprised if there really were pixies, or fairies, or even angels hiding amongst the supple shapes of the school. It could hardly be called a school, it was more like a palace.

 As the pair made their way through the hallway Tanaka was amazed not only by the décor but also the fact that the students parted like the red sea as Tamaki came striding through. If they had been back at Karasuno it would be a matter of stick your elbows out and fight your way through, or simply pull a scary face and at least all of the first years move out of the way. The students that lined the hall were all staring longingly at Tamaki, the girls had blushes reddening their cheeks, and their hands clasped in front of their chests as though praying he would notice them. The boys were equally as entranced by Tamaki’s presence although it was more envy and respect than desire. Something that Tanaka did not notice however was that he was receiving the same amount of attention. Although, not necessarily positively. Many girls glared at their interlocked hands, others’ sour gazes burrowed into the back of Tanaka’s skull, all of their thoughts synchronised “Who is he? Why is he so close to the prince?”

Tamaki shot Tanaka a small smile as he pulled him into the old music room that was home to the host club. Some girls attempted to come in but Tamaki didn’t acknowledge them and simply closed the door. He swept through the room like a tornado searching for the silver doorstop, “We rarely use it, so finding it may take a while.” He explained as he routed through some cupboards.

Tanaka stood in the middle of the room for a moment, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, do you want me to help?” he asked following the blond’s movements.

“Of course! Go right ahead, just be careful of the vases they are genuine Ming. If another one breaks Kyouya would have a fit.” Tamaki warned, glancing over his shoulder. “Trust me, no one wants that. Despite his cool exterior Kyouya is really scary.”

Tanaka nodded in understanding and began looking through the cupboards on the other side of the room, “We have a guy like that on our team.”

“Team? What kind of team? What do you do on the team? Do you drink commoner’s coffee together!?” Tamaki asked enthusiastically in a way that reminded Tanaka of an excited puppy.

“I play volleyball, so it’s my volleyball team. We don’t tend to drink that much coffee because all of the caffeine, but when it gets round to exam time I drink it by the gallon, because I need to get good grades so I can keep playing in matches. Not that they’d stop me from playing, I would just fight my way onto the court whether they like it or not. Ha. Ha. Ha!” Tanaka proclaimed his hands on his hips.

Tamaki straightened, his eyebrows tugging together, “Wait… you have to pass tests to do what you love? That’s so cruel, how can they steal away something you have worked so hard for just over a flimsy piece of paper? That is an outrage.” By the end of his speech one of his legs was placed on the footstool in a lunge, and his fist was balled and presented in front of his face, cupped in the other hand.

The sight brought a fond tear to Tanaka’s eye. He stepped forward and took Tamaki’s hands in his own, “You’re right. You’re a revolutionary. Come help us fight this unfair oppressive regime!”

“I would be honoured to join your noble-“

_Click_

“Er… Tamaki… what was that?” Tanaka asked, his eyes flicking towards the door.

Tamaki dropped Tanaka’s hands and stepped down from the footstool and made his way to the door. He tugged on the door handle, but it didn’t move. He tried again, and again there was no movement, just the stubborn rattling of the immoveable metal. A chorus of chuckles could be heard on the other side of the heavy wooden door.

“Devil twins! I bet this was you! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!” Tamaki pounded on the door and continued to wag the handle up and down uselessly.

“No can do Boss. This was all the Vice-pres’ idea.” Hikaru and Kaoru replied together, grinning at each other and shooting a wink in Kyouya’s direction.

“Now then Tamaki, to be released from there is quite simple.” A devious smirk spread across the bespectacled man’s face as he adjusted his glasses, the sun glinting off of them. “You and the other young man in there must go on a date. Obviously you can go wherever you wish, but it needs to be within the week and it must happen. You are too much of an imbecile to recognise a growing fondness that you’re feeling towards him, and the possibility of you never seeing him is not something I will stand for. Because honestly I do not want you moping in the corner and growing mushrooms again. The damn things took long enough to kill last time.”

Tamaki and Tanaka spluttered, both of their cheeks painted pink. Tanaka’s eyes were trained on the floor but slowly strayed to Tamaki. His blush only grew deeper when he realised that Tamaki had done the same. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, distracting himself with anything else in the room, “ah… well. I-I wouldn’t mind… er… what I m-mean is, sure. No, um. T-that is i-if you want to…” he stuttered clumsily, avoiding Tamaki’s eyes.

A few more chuckles could be heard from the other side, but they were cut off with a pained ‘oof’.  Tamaki could practically feel the pointed elbow of Haruhi digging into his ribs. A small smile spreads across his face, before spinning around with a flourish and bowing before Tanaka. He extended a hand and shot a dazzling smile, “I would love to go out with you for a meal young sir. We can dine wherever you wish! How does this Saturday sound?”

Tanaka’s eyes widened in surprise, “Er yeah. I mean that would be great. I have morning training on Saturday, but we can go get food after. If that’s okay with you I mean.”

“That’s fine. I’ll come and get you, but you can pick the restaurant.”

As soon as the confirmation had left Tamaki’s lips a small _click_ was heard and the door swung open, the rest of the host club grinning like Cheshire cats. Tanaka puffed out his chest with a large gulp of air, but there was nothing to be done about the blazing fire that was raging across his cheeks. “Well, I guess I should get going.” He awkwardly made his way out of the room. As he began to make his way back out of the palace of the school he found that he had a shadow. The boy with the glasses was following him. Tanaka span round, “Ah… Can I help you?”

“I just thought I should give you some advice about where to take Tamaki this weekend.” Kyouya stated, a smug smirk creeping its way onto his lips.

Tanka nodded mutely. He hadn’t even thought about it till now. But now that he _did_ think about it, he had no idea what to do. Someone of his status must be used to fancy 5 star restaurants, there was no way he could afford that, if he could even make sense of the menu to begin with. What was he going to do? Maybe Suga would know some nice places, he seems like the person that would. Tanaka rested his chin on his hand as he thought, well panicked, over the prospect of having to pick the restaurant for their date this weekend.

Kyouya rolled his eyes and flicked Tanaka between the eyebrows. “Oi. I’m telling you where to take him so stop freaking out.”

Tanaka blinked, then blinked again. Unconsciously he rubbed the slight red mark that Kyouya had left and nodded slowly.

“Listen, all you have to do is take him to a fast food place. He’ll love it, honestly I don’t understand his fascination with commoner’s junk food, but each to their own. Take him to a cheap pizza place that you know, I don’t think he’s had one of those before. And that’s all there is to it.”

Tanka raised an eyebrow, “Seriously? You’re not kidding are you?”

“No. Just take him to a pizza place. If you’re that worried check with him before you go.” Kyouya tosses over his shoulder as he makes his way back to the club room, leaving Tanaka standing dumbly in the corridor.

“Huh… rich people are weird.” Tanaka turned and walked towards the exit. On his way out a silver sparkle caught his eye… a doorstop! Rapidly throwing his head side to side he checked if anyone was around. When he saw no one he grabbed the silver lion and shoved it under his arm, sprinting towards the gate to freedom.

And this time, he didn’t get stuck in its metal clutches.


	2. The Prince Meets the Crows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one carries on directly from chapter 1 which means so far it's lovely and chronological.
> 
> In this chapter Tamaki rocks up to Karasuno to pick up Tanaka for their date and from there stuff happens. A little protective Suga and little Dadchi and a little hyper Hinata.

The Karasuno Volleyball Club is where the school’s most dedicated sports junkies congregate to sweat together, set together, and spike together. The words ‘nice receive’, ‘don’t mind’, and ‘nice kill’ echo throughout the gym and drift out the door. Just think of it as Karasuno High School’s unwavering force of determination and drive to win. So naturally when Tamaki turned up out of the blue and waltzed into the gym like a strutting peacock all balls stilled and silence fell. Well, all balls but one. The only ball that was left in motion just so happened to be a serve that Hinata was practicing. Hinata’s serves were infamous across not only the sports clubs, but also the rest of the school. Of course when some poor sod manages to knock off the principle’s toupee they become pretty well known, and that unlucky soul was Hinata.

Apparently, Hinata was not content with knocking off the principle’s toupee, nor with smacking Kageyama in the back of the head. No, Hinata felt the need to send a wild serve towards the princely blond that was casually leaning against the doorframe ogling at a certain shaved headed wing spiker. As soon as the ball flew into the air on its course Hinata’s face fell, his cheeks physically paled and it looked as though his eyes were about to pop out of his head in horror. The other boys joined him in their frozen horror as the ball travelled as if in slow motion along its path. Suga’s hand travelled to cover his mouth, Daichi turned to look away, and Kageyama shook his head a stormy disappointed face beginning to cross his features. Tanaka started laughing at Hinata’s sporadic aim until he realised the selected destination of the ball. It was only then did he understand the panicked expressions of his teammates. However while they were all routed to the spot Tanka lunged to Tamaki’s rescue.

Not only had Tamaki not registered his imminent doom but he also seemed utterly stunned when the object of his gaze jerked towards him, gritting his teeth and puffing out his cheeks. This was not a reaction he had been expecting, a possible smile or a roll of the eyes with a blush smattering across the cheeks, but a frantic, strained, angered pout of desperation? No, that had definitely not been on the list. As Tanaka grew closer Tamaki offered him a winning smile, however the other boy didn’t slow down, his expression didn’t change. And just when Tamaki was fully prepared to pout like a stroppy child, Tanaka dove towards him knocking him to the ground. Tamaki let out an ‘oof’ as their bodies collided and dropped to the floor. Tamaki watched his life flash before his eyes as the volleyball went sailing through the space his head had just been and disappeared out of the door.

There was a moment of silence as the two boys lay on the ground, Tanaka on top of Tamaki, and the rest of the team as still as statues. Neither of the two spoke, however once Tamaki had recovered from the initial shock of being tackled he found himself staring into the brown eyes that hovered just above his. A small smirk stretched across Tanaka’s lips as he studied the blond that was under him. It wasn’t until Daichi coughed that Tanaka’s ears turned pink and he scrambled to his feet. Suga grinned and raised an eyebrow.

Tanaka offered a hand to Tamaki but refused to make eye contact. The blond boy’s hand was soft and smooth, each of his nails were perfectly sculpted, and suddenly Tanaka felt self-conscious about his rough palms and bitten down nubs. As Tamaki clambered to his feet, tugging thankfully at Tanaka’s offered hand, he supplied a kind smile. When Tamaki was fully standing Suga rushed towards him apologising, “I am so sorry, Hinata’s serves have a tendency of going wild, which is why we usually keep the door closed. Are you okay?”

Tamaki looked at the silver haired boy and nodded his eyes flickered to Tanaka and back again, chuckling as his spoke, “I’m fine Tanaka managed to tackle me in time.”

Daichi looked at Tanaka tilting his head towards the blond and raised an eyebrow. Tanaka rubbed the back of his neck as he introduced Tamaki to his team mates. “Ah, this is Tamaki. Tamaki this is Daichi, he’s the captain. Suga is vice-captain. The tall guy with the beard is Asahi, the blond with glasses is Tsukishima, and the freckled guy by his side is Yamaguchi. The frowning guy with black hair is Kageyama, and the small sunshine he’s growling at is Hinata. And this,” Tanaka said wrapping his arm around Nishinoya’s neck, “is my broski, mi amigo, the Watson to my Sherlock, the Jerry to my Tom, this is Nishinoya, the one that left me in your fence earlier this week.”

Just as Tamaki was about to smile and politely say hello he felt an ominous aura radiating off to the left. He glanced over his shoulder and was met with a stony faced Daichi. A sinister smile stretched across his face and his sculpted eyebrow twitched with irritation. Suga stepped to his side, placing a hand onto Daichi’s shoulder. A sweeter smile spread over the silver’s face, and yet it somehow made Tamaki more unsettled than the smiling, scowling male that was just in front of him. Tamaki took a step backward, “Is everything alright?”

When Daichi turned his attention on Tamaki the scowl dropped and just a disarming smile was left, “Just fine thank you. If you would be so kind as to just give us a moment that would be great.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth Suga stepped forwards and hooked his arm through Tamaki’s. Gently and swiftly, he led the blond out of the gym. When Daichi was out of Tamaki’s line of sight the dark haired boy rounded on Tanaka and Nishinoya, who were failing terribly at hiding in the storage cupboard. As he was exiting the door the last thing that Tamaki heard was the cracking of knuckles and a low “Now then…”

The muffled squeaks were shut off by the door sliding closed, and Tamaki was left wondering just what was about to happen. He clasped his hands together in front of him and pulled them up to his chest. Worry swam across his features. Tanaka’s captain reminded Tamaki an awful lot of Kyoya. Not so much in the looks department, but in the way he can maintain a calm exterior while beneath he was simmering with irritation. Tamaki got the sense that behind that closed door that simmering had long since boiled over. He couldn’t help but feel a strong twang of sympathy. He had been on the end of Kyoya’s anger enough times to be able to imagine just what was happening, it would start with a cold stare and a brief pause as they collected their thoughts, when they have settled on a starting point they let rip with a fresh lecture. If Daichi’s was even half as scary as Kyoya then Tamaki feared the worst.

The silver haired boy that has accompanied him outside was sitting on a bench a little way away. The boy wasn’t bad looking in Tamaki’s oh so humble opinion, if he attended Ouran Suga would have most definitely been asked to join the Host club. The only question is which type he would be. His large brown eyes and beauty spot below his eyes made his stare incredibly captivating. Perhaps the refreshing type: a boy who was entirely individual, kind and caring towards others, the kind of boy who could make any unsuspecting girl swoon with a glance and a disarming smile.

When Suga noticed Tamaki looking in his direction he offered up a soft smile and tilted his head towards the seat next to him. He set down a can of iced coffee on the wooden planks and waited for Tamaki to sit down. A little light sparkled in the blond’s eyes as he popped the top on the can as he sat down beside the other boy. He couldn’t help the childish delight he felt in drinking the bitter liquid from a can. Not only was this commoner’s coffee but it had come from a public machine! Tamaki had thought of getting a _vending machine_ for the host club, they would stock it with commoner’s drinks like the canned coffee he was drinking now and cheap greasy bags of crispy snacks.

Suga studied the other boy for a moment slightly amused by his apparent glee at a simple can of coffee. He cleared his throat, “So, what brings you to our humble sports gym? No offence but you certainly don’t seem the type to just wander into this region.”

Tamaki shifted his attention from the coffee to Suga, he smiled brightly and stated “Hm? Oh, Tanaka and I are going on the date after he’s done with training this afternoon. I came to pick him up.”

It turns out that Suga had chosen the wrong moment to take a swig of his water. As, not only did he spray it everywhere but he also choked and spluttered on some droplets that trickled down his throat. “I-I’m sorry, what?”

“I came to pick Tanaka up.”

“No, before that.”

“Tanaka and I are going on a date?”

“Yeah. That.”

The blond smiled brightly. Suga’s eyes widened and he gaped at Tamaki, his jaw going slack. It wasn’t the fact that he couldn’t believe that Tanka was gay, oh no that was perfectly plausible, it was the fact that he was willing to go out with someone that wasn’t Kiyoko. He had been shot down by the raven more times than anyone could count, he had pined after her ever since he joined the volleyball club. Suga couldn’t believe that the boy would just give up on her like that and date someone who was her complete opposite. Where she was quiet and mature, this blond boy seemed incredibly excitable and juvenile.

Snapping his mouth shut Suga stared at Tamaki for a moment, he carefully studied the boy and gradually turned the idea over in his head. Eventually he nodded his approval. But that didn’t mean he was going to forego his, as the team loved to call it, ‘mamma bear’ routine. A devious smirk played across his lips as he straightened in his seat a little. He quietly cleared his throat before rounding on Tamaki, schooling his expression. “Well then, if you and Tanka are going to go on a date then can I assume that you two intend to get together?”

Tamaki jumped at the sudden change in tone and he felt incredibly intimidated. “That will d-depend on how this afternoon goes. But I do seem to enjoy spending time with Tanaka.”

Suga raised an eyebrow, “You ‘seem to’ enjoy spending time with him?”

The blond’s eyes grew comically wide with panic “I _do_ enjoy spending time with him. It’s just I haven’t spent much time with him. This is only the second time we met, and the first one he was trying to get hold of a door stop. The thought of going on a date didn’t even occur to us it was Kyoya that pushed us into it really, he said that we were too stupid to figure it out ourselves and we should go on a date. He made that point very clear actually, locked us in a room together until we agreed to go out. That didn’t take very long though because Tanaka asked me as soon as Kyoya brought it up. He stuttered a lot and didn’t really seem that sure of himself which was actually really cute because he did not, does not, seem like the kind of person who would doubt himself.” He babbled mindlessly. Something about the way that Suga was looking at him made him want to keep talking, to reveal every secret he had ever kept, and that was incredibly unnerving. But, another thing that Tamaki noticed was the fact that he already trusted Suga. He wasn’t certain what it was but he found himself trusting in the vice-captain as if he had known him for years, and not met him all of fifteen minutes ago.

Suga fought back a smile as he watched Tamaki stumble over his words and description of the events that led to Tanaka asking him out on a date. He could tell that the blond wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt Tanaka, to hurt anyone it seems. But a little warning anyway would make sure of it. “I see. Well if you do intend on dating our boisterous wing spiker then I expect you to respect him, if you make him choose between you and his passion for volleyball I will not forgive you. I refuse to see his whimsical, loud, and carefree attitude trampled on by you, or anyone else for that matter. He may seem like an insensitive blockhead but that couldn’t be further from the truth, once Tanaka starts caring about someone he doesn’t stop. He’s loyal to a fault. So what I’m saying is, if you do anything to make Tanka upset over something other than his own stupidity then you and I are going to have some serious issues. Do we understand each other?”

Tamaki gulped and nodded mutely, not quite sure how to respond. Thankfully though he didn’t need to. At that moment the door to the gym was flung open and a smiling Dachi could be seen standing in the open space. Tentatively Tamaki rose from his place on the bench and followed Daichi through the door, Suga close behind him. It felt a little bit like he was a suspect being escorted into an interrogation room, but he shook that feeling off as best he could. Upon re-entering the brightly lit gym Tamaki was careful to check his nearby airspace for off course projectiles, thankfully though, this time there were none.

He was met by a rather odd sight however he supposed that this was the captains chosen punishment for Tanka and his friend. While the other members of the team were all taking a breather and sips of their drinks the other two boys were carrying out their assigned tasks. Tanaka was throwing himself on the floor and sliding around the court, the action completely bewildered Tamaki. What on earth was the captain thinking, surely such reckless behaviour would cause Tanaka injury. Of course Tanaka had knee pads on but the risk of him hurting himself was still pretty high in Tamaki’s opinion.

While Tanaka was diving across the floor like a flopping fish out of water, the other boy, Nishinoya, was coiled as tight as a spring before leaping into the air and touching a white line marked on the wall. He let out a strained huff of air as he repeated the process, desperately stretching so that his fingers met the mark. If Tanaka was currently acting like a fish then Nishinoya was no doubt a frog. Each of the boys faces looked strained, a thick layer of sweat formed on each of their foreheads, and their cheeks were red from breathing heavily. Tamaki wanted to ask whether they were okay but he was afraid of being made to do something similar. It is definitely what Kyoya would do when someone sounded like they were undermining his authority. So just as a precaution Tamaki elected to keep his mouth shut and just ask Tanaka about it later… that is if Tanaka was still allowed on the date later. He wasn’t going to rule out the possibility that Tanaka had been grounded by the parental figures on this volleyball team. At the present time it wasn’t quite clear just how much power Daichi and Suga had over the team but Tamaki was honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they banned a team member from watching TV for a week or sent them to bed without dinner.

“Ten more boys, keep it going and you can stop for the day.” Daichi’s bellow made Tamaki jump out of his skin. Tsukkishima snorted as he glanced at the blond from the corner of his eye. Something told him that Tanaka’s new friend was going to provide some serious entertainment. Perhaps not calling Kageyama King level of fun but he is certain that it will be a close second.

As Tamaki continued to watch the two boys on the court carry out their punishments he didn’t notice a small orange haired boy trembling in front of him. Hinata attempted to mumble his apology as fast as he could before sneaking away. Sadly though Suga noticed that Tamaki had not heard the shaking boy’s apology and gave Hinata what could only be described as: the mum look. Staring at Suga for a moment with wides eyes he skulked back to the tall blond. Nervously fiddling with his fingers he looked up at Tamaki stuttering, “U-um I just w-wanted to s-say sorry for almost hitting y-you with a ball.”

Tamaki who had this times noticed the small boy’s presences smiled warmly “It’s fine, no harm done, I once kicked a ball through a window and hit the head of our school newspaper, so don’t worry about it.” He winked, “Oh and, what was your name again?”

Hinata laughed lightly, this tall boy wasn’t scary at all! He had obviously just gotten into the habit of fearing everyone taller than him that didn’t go to his school. After bumping into some rather intimidating people on more than one occasion you could hardly blame him. “I’m Hinata Shouyo, nice to meet you!”

“I’m Tamaki Suoh, it’s a pleasure.” Tamaki studied the small boy for a moment, “You know, I think I have a couple of friends who would love to meet you. I’ll have to introduce you at some point.” Hinata and Honey would definitely get along, the only issue would be combatting Mori’s instinct to pick up small people. He would have to pose the issue to Kyoya and see if they can come up with a plan of action.

Hinata smiled and asked excitedly, “Do they like volleyball?”

“If beach volleyball counts then I suppose they do yes. We’re not part of a team or anything like you guys are though.”

“Beach volleyball counts! You should play us some time, it would be great!” Hinata jumped with excitement and suddenly Tamaki found himself looking above him. His eyes widened and he took a step backward.  He blinked slowly in disbelief as suddenly Hinata was taller than him. Tamaki gawked at the boy who seemed to be floating before him and suddenly it made sense as to why he was on the volleyball team. At some point during Tamaki’s conversation with Hinata Tanaka had finished his diving exercises, he came up behind them chuckling at Tamaki’s expression. “This one is the fastest on the team, no one can keep up with him. His receives and serves royally suck though. Ain’t that right squirt.” A large and came down and landed on Hinata’s head roughly ruffling his already wild hair.

Hinata pouted, “I’m getting better!”

“Pfft, yeah if you count being able to receive with your face and improvement.” Tanaka said snorting a laugh.

“Tanaka leave Hinata alone, he gets enough of that from Kageyama.” Daichi reprimanded before he addressed the rest of the squad, “Well done today everyone let’s pack up then you’re free to go.”

“Right!” came the chorused response.

Tamaki watched all of the Karasuno team members clean the hall with practiced familiarity and swift movements. Despite the boys cleaning up quickly Tamaki still felt as though he ought to help out, though by the time was able to get someone’s attention to ask what he could do everything was already done. Hinata had collected all of the balls, Tsukkishima and Yamaguchi had already rolled up the net, the third years were mopping the floor and the others were stacking things away in the stores. And all the while Tamaki had just stood by the side uselessly, like a lemon.

He huffed out a breath, pouting slightly. “What’s up Tamaki?” Tanaka asked on his way back from the store room.

“Huh, what? Oh nothing. I just feel like I should have helped out at least a little.”

Tanaka smiled, “Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it down to a fine art by now.” He paused suddenly avoiding eye contact. A hand found the way to the back of his head as he rubbed the fuzzy stubble awkwardly, “So, er, you still up for this… date?”

“I wouldn’t have turned up if I wasn’t. Besides I don’t think Kyoya would let it go that easily.” Tamaki chuckled, looping his arm through Tanaka’s in a wide sweeping motion. “Right, where are we off to?”

Blowing out a breath, and his nerves with it, Tanaka offered a crooked grin. “Well I thought I would take you to a little pizza place I know. If that’s alright with you.”

Tamaki squealed, actually squealed, and clapped his hands together rapidly. “Yes! Let’s go right now, I am so excited.” He wrapped his hand around Tanaka’s wrist and began tugging him out of the school grounds.

“I was not expecting that reaction. I’ll be honest, I thought Specs was screwing with me.” Tanaka muttered training his eyes on the ground and desperately trying to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks. He was hyper aware of the hand that was wrapped around his wrist, and of course the princely blond attached to it. Holding his breath he slipped his wrist out of Tamaki’s grip and locked their hands together. He didn’t breathe again until he felt Tamaki’s fingers comfortable link with his own.

The blond cleared throat, a light flush tinting his cheeks “So Tanaka, where are we heading?”

“It’s a really small pizzeria that a friend of mine works at. But it is some of the best pizza you will ever have. The cheese is so stringy and there is barely any grease, the base is the best combination of crispy and soft, and don’t even get me started on the sauce they use. It’s like they collected tears from unicorns, blended them with tomatoes and slathered it on a pizza. It’s just. Mmm” Tanaka pinched together is thumb and index finger in a circle while splaying out his other three fingers and held it up for a moment.

“Well then I look forward to it. I very rarely have the opportunity to eat pizza, my family tend to dine at places that use far too many forks. Not to mention the portions sizes are rather tiny, I’ll tell you that there is nothing ‘fine’ about going out to a meal and still being hungry afterwards.”

Tanaka snickered, “You don’t have to worry about that where we’re going, we are going to have a pizza each and I will hear nothing more on the topic. It’s nothing against you I just don’t share food. Like… ever.”

As the two walked, they fell into step with each other, their joined hands swinging between them. They chatted more about themselves, food, friends, and their schools. They were so engrossed in each other that they didn’t seem to notice the group of boys that seemed to be following them. The group carefully maintained their distance and stopped walking any time the clueless pair in front of them looked like they may turn around, or glance over their shoulder. Neither of them did, ever. It seems that they were both completely engrossed in the other.

Suga fought back an eye roll as Tanaka tripped on the curb, almost pulling Tamaki down with him. At the laugh that bubbled out of Tamaki, Suga figured it was safe to assume that they were both okay and Tanaka hadn’t ruined his chance before the date had even got into full swing. Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose and inwardly cringed at an incredibly bad pickup line that Tanaka had for some reason decided to use. From where they were hiding they were unable to hear everything the two were talking about, but obviously it just had to be fate that Daichi was subjected to hearing the horrifically delivered line. “Suga, did you just hear that? I think I just died a little. That actually hurt my soul.” Daichi murmured.

Suga raised an eyebrow and stared at the other boy for a moment. “Uh-huh, remind me again what the pick-up line you used on me was?” Daichi’s eyes widened before he looked down to the ground in embarrassment of his past self. “Oh yes, I remember.”

Daichi closed his eyes, “Suga, please don’t.” In his first year Daichi had been struggling with his grades in biology. Conveniently Suga was top of the class and had agreed to help him after volleyball practice. As the two began spending more and more time together Daichi’s feelings for Suga grew, so one day he plucked up the courage to hit Suga with what he thought was a winning pick up line.

Suga grinned evilly before clearing his throat and repeating the pick-up line that Daichi had delivered that day, “You’re so hot you denature my enzymes.” He winked, sniggering at Daichi’s pained groan. “Oh you were such a dork. What am I talking about, you still are a dork.”

“Shut up. It was mortifying when you burst out laughing right in my face. And I’m not a dork.” The dark haired boy mumbled.

“Oh come on, if I had said that to you are you telling me that you wouldn’t have had the same reaction?” He looked at Daichi’s defeated face out of the corner of his eye, “Yeah that’s what I thought. Now let’s get back to the spying.” Suga stuck the tip of his tongue out between his teeth and wrinkled his nose in a cheeky grin. Daichi hummed and returned his attention to the pair that were further down the road.

The two T’s rounded the corner and the gaudy neon sign of the pizzeria came into view. Like every other stereotypical pizza place one of the letters, the first ‘a’ in ‘Piazza Pizza’, blinked lazily while the others shone into the street; bright even in the afternoon daylight. Tamaki’s eyes sparkled as his gaze landed on the small restaurant, and Tanaka couldn’t help the grin that crept onto his faces at the blond’s delight. Holding the door open for him Tanaka ushered Tamaki inside the cosy little establishment.

They were greeted at the door by a chirpy waitress. She smiled sweetly up at Tamaki, looking coyly through her long lashes. Tanaka’s eyes narrowed and he bit back a growl, his grip on Tamaki’s hand twitched protectively. When the waitress eventually tore her eyes away from the blond prince, to look at Tanaka, she physically recoiled. The growling boy felt a smirk of satisfaction spread across his face. Hurriedly the girl ushered the pair to a booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant. She presented the both of them with a menu, and with a last fleeting look at Tamaki she disappeared into the kitchen.

Tamaki inspected the menu in wonder. He lifted the laminated sheet up to his face and wobbled it quickly, taking delight in the wibbly sound that it made. Tanaka chuckled at the blond’s childish antics and just hoped that the day would continue going as well as it had so far… minus the near miss with the volleyball of course.

Surely that was enough drama for one day, and now everything else would just go smoothly. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, of course there will be a second part to this chapter as the date continues to unfurl.  
> Thank you for reading! ^.^


	3. Lemonade laughs and a Pink Swan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date comes to its conclusion

   “Tanaka, the menus are plastic… plastic!” Tamaki giggle in scandalised joy as he continued to wobble the laminated paper. “They are so bright and colourful. Commoner’s menus are so exciting!”

   Tanaka smiled into his drink as he took a quick sip, his eyes never leaving the blond. He had never seen someone take so much joy in receiving a menu. Placing his drink down again he briefly glanced over his own menu, reading over all of the dishes that he could probably recite by heart before settling on his usual choice: The Meat Feast Extravaganza! He couldn’t help but chuckle at the tiny ‘For Two’ that was in brackets next to the title, Tanaka had never shared one of these pizzas in his life!

   Whereas Tanaka was ready to order with a professional poise, Tamaki was overwhelmed by the bright colours and pretty pictures. It was a mystery to him how they could fit so much on to one sheet, it was remarkably convenient to simply be able to flip the page and already have access to both the drinks choices and the deserts! If they were in one of the stuffy restaurants that his father insisted on bringing him to there would be a separate menu for each, plus a specials list on top of that. It never failed to amaze him how ingenious commoners could be.

   With a pitying gaze Tanaka offered his assistance in decoding the complicated labyrinth that was the menu. Once Tamaki had wrapped his head around the difference between salami and peperoni he was good to go. With a casual raise of his hand Tanaka called to the waitress, slightly narrowing his eyes in warning as she approaches. With the well-practiced grace of a regular he placed their orders, Tamaki had settled on the Cheeky Barbeque Chicken. Whatever it was that made the chicken ‘cheeky’ was something that Tamaki couldn’t help but feel the need to investigate.

   Once their orders had been placed the two fell into idle chitchat, both of them unaware of the multitude of gazes that were trained up on them, two sets belonged to Daichi and Suga, who had now been joined by the rest of the team, and were now spying on the couple from the bench across the road. Nishinoya couldn’t help but feel his heart swell with pride as Tanaka managed to make Tamaki laugh with what he thought was one of the many jokes he had told him before. Due to the fact they were on a date at a pizza place Nishinoya concluded that it must have been a pretty cheesy joke. But regardless Tamaki seemed to like it as he was still giggling about whatever ridiculous pun Tanaka had decided to use.

   Another other group of nosy glances could be traced back to Tamaki’s friends in the Host Club. Apparently all of the members had decided to descend on one poor bus stop believing that they could all subtly hide within it. Luckily for them Tanaka and Tamaki were two caught up in talking to each other they didn’t notice the shelter that was full to bursting. All of the boys in the host club found themselves crowding a doddery old woman who was just waiting for her usual 804 bus into town. Although, from the sidelong peaks she kept sneaking at Kyoya the bespectacled boy deduced that she didn’t mind their invasion all that much.

   The final set of eyes belonged to the waitress of Piazza Pizza that had ogled Tamaki when the two had first walked into the restaurant. Her jealous stare drove daggers into the back of Tanaka’s head as he cheerfully smiled at his date. As soon as the pair’s orders were ready the waitress couldn’t resist the urge to knock over Tanaka’s coke as she placed his pizza in front of him. The sticky brown liquid splashed across his lap as he leapt to his feet with a shout. “You have got to be kidding me!”

   The blonde hid her smirk behind an overemphasised gasp of horror. She clasped her hands together and turned to face Tamaki. “I am terribly sorry! I’ll go and get you both a refill, I am so sorry, I’m such a klutz.” Crocodile tears gathered at the edges of her eyes and Tanaka half expected fangs to pop out of her mouth like a true snake. Tamaki was quick to reassure her that everyone makes mistakes and it wasn’t her fault. “Oh don’t cry my dear, even the best of slip up at times.” He smiled gently and handed her his napkin. Dabbing at the slightly reddened corner of her eyes, the waitress’s lips twitched into a vague hint of a sad smile. “Thank you, you are being so nice to me even though I spilt coke all over your friend.” She looked apologetically over to Tanaka, but all he could see was spite and distaste in her eyes.

   As it turns out the audience who had been paying close attention to the events as they unfolded were also unconvinced by the waitress’ act. Nishinoya was biting at the bit to go and pull out that “bitch’s ratty extensions”. This time Suga let him get away with his foul language as the thought had also passed through his mind only with a far more colourful vocabulary. Meanwhile over at the bus stop the hosts were groaning at Tamaki’s gullible nature. There was being nice, and then there was being an idiot. Kyoya adjusted his glasses and shook his head in shame, there was no way he was going to admit to knowing this buffoon who was falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Honey tugged on Mori’s sleeve, “Takashi that girl is a pest. She’s going to ruin everything!” he complained with a pout on his lips. A frown tugged at Mori’s lips as he returned his gaze to the couple inside slowly shaking his head in disapproval.

   The twins were off. Already crossing the street and entering the establishment. Kyoya’s face found itself buried within his palm as he began fretting about the several situations that could now unfold, none of them end well. They could burst in, causing a scene and throw drinks at her while laughing when her face melts of. They might start a food fight with the whole restaurant; shout at the waitress until she cries; sneak into the kitchen and cause havoc; flip the tables and chairs upside down. So many possibilities may occur. And Kyoya was not looking forward to clearing up after their mess.

   Kaoru glanced at his brother a smirk forming on his face as he walked through the restaurant and seated them on a table on the opposite side to Tamaki and Tanaka. The waitress’ gaze strayed from the blond prince and settled on the twins. She paused for a moment. Cue double-take. As with Tamaki, her eyes bulged like a croaking toad. Not one, but 3 good looking boys had entered the establishment today, oh how she had been blessed. It was like a child in a sweet shop, and if she strikes out with one there are another two left to try!

   Hikaru’s lip twitched in distaste, subtly scowling at the waitress who seemed to have departed to lala land. How irresponsible. With a wink to his brother, Hikaru rose from his seat and sauntered over to the counter. He placed one hand flat on the counted and let the other prop up his chin in a nonchalant pose that, conveniently, let him comfortably sink to eye level. “Excuse me, my brother and I haven’t been to here before and were just wondering what you would recommend?”

   “W-w-w-Welcome!!” She shouted, taken aback by his sudden appearance. Slapping a hand over her mouth she cleared her throat, an embarrassed blush rising to her cheeks. “I mean, er. Welcome to Piazza Pizza, I hope you enjoy your time with us.” Banishing her awkwardness, she leaned forward, mimicking Hikaru’s pose so she could look up at him through her long lashes. She propped her chest on her arm and squeezed inwards with her elbow. Hikaru raised an eyebrow. Oh she was good. She knew exactly what she was doing, no wonder Tamaki had fallen into her trap.

   “Thank you, I’m sure we will. Would you mind recommending us something?”

   “Well, a personal favourite of mine is the Hot and Sizzling Sausage Surplus. We marinade the sausages with great _care and attention_ , just to be sure the flavour really bursts in your mouth.”

   “That sounds promising. I do love a good sausage” Hikaru stood to return to his brother, dropping a wink over his shoulder. The waitress was left gaping.

   Kaoru sniggered as Hikaru sank into the seat opposite. “She’s still staring at you, looks like a fish hoping to catch a fly.” The two chuckled and went about their plot of how to retain the waitress’ attention.

   Tanaka had sat back down on the slightly damp seat, in his slightly damp trousers, with a slightly damp attitude. Grumbling quietly to himself he stuffed a slice of pizza into his mouth, momentarily forgetting that he was keeping company. Blinking for a blank moment he looked up from his plate and locked eyes with his date. His greedy chewing slowed to a stop as he gulped down his mouthful with a series of desperate swallows. A swig of coke and an awkward laugh later Tanaka scratched the back of his neck shyly, “ha… sorry, I er, I… really like pizza?...” his voice rose to a squeak of embarrassment as he tried to cover up his sloppy manners.

   Tamaki, who had just taken a sip of his own drink, snorted. Lemonade shot out of his nose. There was a moment of silence between the two. Tamaki was mortified. Quickly snatching up a napkin he covered his face.

   Tanka’s face split into a grin and he could no longer contain his laughter. Smacking a hand on the table he began roaring with laughter. Colour rose to his cheeks as he struggled to breathe through his snickers. Apparently, it was contagious. After he had mopped himself up, Tamaki joined in. At first with discrete chuckles but they soon grew and morphed into a raging torrent of laughter that swept up the both of them. Neither knew why they were laughing quite so hard, nor why they couldn’t seem to stop. Tears were pooling in Tamaki’s eyes, Tanka gripped his stomach to try and ease the ache in his ribs. When the two began to stop laughing, their eyes met… and they started laughing all over again. They were helpless in their pathetic fight against their amusement.

   Outside, Nishinoya laughed along with them. Watching his best friend make an ass of himself and hen his date doing the same was comical. As soon as the thought “He screwed up…” had echoed through the minds of every onlooker, Tamaki didn’t hesitate to equal Tanaka’s mistake and balance was restored.

   Having just gained photographic evidence of the Ouran prince shooting lemonade out of his nose, Hikaru and Kaoru were very pleased with themselves. On another note, the waitress was making her way over with their food and now it was Kaoru’s turn to attract her attention. Hikaru waggled his eyebrows as his brother as the waitress approached, Kaoru nodded. He locked eyes with her and smiled gently, she faltered but sadly regained her footing and continued to strut towards their table. Her hips swaying side to side in a sultry pendulum. Her lips pushed outwards as though they had been stung by a bee, puffed out in swollen pride.

   “Here is your orders boys. Is there anything else I can get you?” She tilted her head slightly to the side, exposing the long lines of her neck.

   Kaoru looks her in the eye, “Your hand in mine and a walk around the park later?” adding a hopeful, almost vulnerable, tone to his voice.

   Hikaru’s eyes bugged out of his head at Karou’s sudden proposal. His bulging amber eyes swept from his brother to the waitress and had to hold back a snigger. The waitress, poor girl, was turning 32 different shades of red. Sadly didn’t even get close fifty. Her mouth was gaping like a fish desperately gulping at food. Hikaru was pretty sure that she had stopped breathing for a moment, although probably not healthy, it got her out of the way.

   Kaoru gently placed his hand at her elbow “Are you okay, love?” he whispered in her ear. Hikaru rolled his eyes. The waitress let out a squeal and launched herself backwards, dashing frantically towards the kitchen. She stumbled and tripped over the leg of a chair. Flailing with her arms, she got back to her feet and continued her escape. Her face seemed quite happy to aid the Hitachiin twins in their goal to find 50 shades of red as it managed to discover the 33rd shade. Once the waitress was safely tucked away behind the hanging bead curtain the boys let a muted chuckle. Not loud enough for the two lovebirds to hear them, they were in their own little bubble of sickening adorableness.

   At first Tamaki went about eating his pizza with a knife and fork, Tanaka’s face was a picture of horror and pity. Oh, how the poor prince had been deprived of the joy that was pizza. Had he never before felt the cheese grease stain his fingers, or the sauce slip across the dough base as it pooled ever so slightly into the centre? With a gentle hand Tanaka reaches across the table that separated them and touched Tamaki’s hand. The blond looked up, Tanaka slowly and sadly shook his head. A tiny gasp passes Tamaki’s lips, he places the knife and fork down on the table, oh how is grandmother would faint! Tentatively he picked up a slice of pizza, cradling the thick doughy crust between his fingers. He marvelled over the sheer stretchiness of the cheesy goodness as he pulled away the slice from the whole. Tanaka offered a small smile, a nod of encouragement, as he picked up a slice of his own. Together they ripped into the meals, Tamaki throwing his elegance out of the window as stringy cheese sticks to his chin, and Tanka ate his with practiced savagery.

   The gaggle of people in the bus shelter soon began to grow bored as the pair inside continued their meal without much more going wrong. Although they were greatly pleased that nothing else seemed to be interrupting the two T’s, there was nothing more mind numbing than watching two people eat and being unable to hear the conversation that accompanied. For now, Mori was keeping Honey occupied by keeping him fed and happy with sweets and cakes, which he was getting from… somewhere. Kyoya was about to suggest leaving them two it but then he was kindly reminded by Hikaru’s waving, that Tamaki and Tanaka weren’t the only pair indoors. Suddenly Kyoya threw the idea of leaving so far out of the window it landed on the moon.

   The Karasuno team were still splayed across the bench watching the events within the restaurant take place. After the two other boys had entered and distracted the waitress everything was going very smoothly. It was almost as though it had been completely set up.

   Hinata’s leg was bouncing up and down impatiently as he itched to practise his receives. Kageyama wasn’t much better, his hands twitched as he rung them over and over. Quite frankly, the first years were grating on Daichi’s patience. “Kageyama, Hinata. You don’t have to be here, compulsory practise ended and this has nothing to do with volleyball.” Suga stated as he watched an all too familiar vein pop out of Daichi’s forehead.

   The tiny bundle of energy and sunshine leapt to his feet. “Really?!” A smile spread across his face as he scrambled to get his things together. Kageyama was already up with his bag slung over his shoulder, waiting patiently for the fluff ball. Once Hinata had gathered everything he needed he was off. Running towards the school. Daichi’s irritation ebbed as he chuckled to himself, gently tossing the keys for the gym at Kageyama, “You might need these.” The stoic first year nodded his thanks chased after Hinata who was stuck at a cross road frantically looking down one and then the other.

   After the two distractions had left the team turned their attention back to the restaurant. The two inside were now making their way out, wrapped up in their conversation. Suddenly everyone on the bench stood up and dove into the hedge behind them. Extra practise at diving receives isn’t a bad thing, it would have been nice to have knee pads on but can’t complain. The team peaked through the leaves watching Tanaka and Tamaki walk down the street towards… the bus stop.

   Without paying much attention Haruhi glanced down the road, expecting to still see the two boys sitting and talking in the restaurant. That was not what they saw. Haruhi tapped Kyoya on the shoulder, “Er Kyoya… T and T are heading this way.”

   The bespectacled boy looked up from his calculations and met Haruhi’s eyes. They tilted their head and indicated the approaching figures. Kyoya’s eyes widened slightly, he glanced at his watch. The pair had demolished their food at an alarming rate, far quicker than anticipated. They were about to walk straight passed them. Down the road a bus had just turned the corner. Kyoya was struck by a plan, he must say he was thankful that Haruhi was with them at this point. “Everyone, on the bus! Haruhi you’re going to have to lead us back, so pay attention.”

   The low rumble of Mori’s voice put a slight chink into Kyoya’s plan “What about Hikaru and Kaoru?” Kyoya’s pushed his glasses further up his nose, “I’ll call them later. Hikaru usually has his phone with him. Now, everyone on the bus. Go, go, go!” Honey leapt abroad with an exciting yell as he began fishing for his wallet to pay the driver, the rest of the Host club followed with a far less enthusiastic step.

   Tanka and Tamaki passed the bus stop just as the vehicle pulled away with a hiss of air. Tanaka jumped in surprise and glared at it’s passing. Tamaki chuckled and they continued walking. Neither had noticed the bush that had adopted faces, nor the Host Club boarding _a bus_. They just toddled off in their own world laughing with each other. All of Karasuno froze, questioning how the two could be quite so oblivious to the world around them, let’s face it Nishinoya’s bright orange flash of hair isn’t exactly subtle against the rich green leaves.

   Eventually the two made it to the intended destination. Karasuno where trailing behind, ducking behind the odd building to avoid discovery. The Host Club on the other hand, were on a bus heading to god only knows where, they just hoped they could get back…

   Children were screeching, parents were either squawking in reply or ignoring them entirely while lazing on stretched out blankets. Wicker baskets are dotted here and there both filled to the brim with homemade goodies, or completely stark bare after being ravaged by starving beasts. Frisbees were flung across the grassy plain, chased by kids, adults and dogs alike.  Some families were out on bikes, cycling around the painted route laid out perfectly for them. It avoided heavily wooded areas so there was no danger of being thrown off by an exposed root. Buttercups were sprouting from the ground, their obnoxious yellow colour dots across the field sitting patiently to be ripped from their roots and stuck under children’s chins.

   The park stretched out in front of them, a vast expanse of green. Tanaka continued onward, knowing exactly where he wants to go. He tugged on Tamaki’s hand and strode towards the small woodland area that could only be found if you knew precisely which bush to duck behind. Luckily, for once, Tanaka got the right one and didn’t end up teetering at the edge of a lake with the ducks laughing at him, as he had so many times before. Instead he had burst through the concealed entrance and landed on solid ground. A triumphant grin stretched across his face.

   “Erm… Tanaka, may I ask why you just dragged me through a hedge?”

   He froze. Rooted to the spot he slowly turned, like a statue on a rotating plinth, to face the blond. Tanaka had been able to walk through the kaleidoscope of twisting branches completely unharmed… Tamaki, not so much. Small twigs and a mess of leaves had sprouted from the mop of golden hair. Tanaka may have forgotten to factor in the extra height that Tamaki possessed.

   Scratching the fuzz on his head sheepishly he replied, “My bad. Forgot you were taller than me.”

   Tamaki stared him down, a scalding unimpressed expression sealed his lips into a thin line. Tanaka couldn’t look him in the eye, instead his gaze darted awkwardly around the clearing. Settling on nothing in particular, that birds nest on that one branch, that one tree root that looped out of the ground, that small hole dug in the ground by a squirrel trying to bury its nuts. Tanaka looked everywhere but at the glaring blonde who’s façade was cracking. A small smile threatened to twitch at his lips, his eyes sparkled with the giggles he was keeping prisoner.

   “Tanaka.”

   The boy jumped out of his skin, eyes darting to meet with Tamaki’s his face swimming with panic. He took a tiny step backward and awkwardly looked to the floor like a dog that had done something wrong. Droopy ears could practically be seen perching on his head, his tail between his legs, eyes trained on the floor and every so often flickering to meet Tamaki’s blue eyes to see if he was still angry.

   It was this sight that finally caused the laughter to burst from Tamaki in an explosion of rib cracking hilarity. Colour rose to Tanaka’s cheeks as the princely blond was beside himself with laughter, the odd leaf fluttering down from his golden locks as he shook his head in an attempt to catch his breath. Birds above squawked and flew away from those disturbing their peace. Tamaki wiped a small tear from his eye, his chest heaving, shoulders quaking periodically as a stray chuckle bubbled to the surface.

   Tanaka huffed and turned on a heel, utterly relieved that Tamaki had just been messing with him. Kicking some of the twigs and stones out of the way he plonked himself down, grabbing a jacket from his bag and spreading it out next to him. He rested his forearms on bent knees and stared ahead, looking out onto the lake. A family of ducks floated along, chicks peeping happily as they followed their parents to their destination. The delicate breeze caused ripples to flow steadily, picking up a wave and dropping it gently back to the surface. Gaudy plastic swans drifted lazily along the water while those sitting within peddled their legs wildly in an attempt to get the bloody things to even go that little bit faster. Some poor dads were panting wildly as their kids hopped up and down begging to speed up so they can win the race against their friends.

   Tamaki dropped down next to Tanaka, grateful for the jacket. Tanaka was far more of a gentleman than anyone realised and that brought a sappy smile to Tamaki’s face. It was like a secret between the two of them. A soft side that everyone else seemed to be oblivious too. And quite frankly Tamaki had been among them, when the fuzzy headed boy had crashed through their front gate although intrigued he could only draw the conclusion that Tanaka was a hard-headed brute. He hadn’t seemed to noticed Tamaki carefully studying his face as the sunlight gently filtered through the trees creating a sparkling pattered dotted across his cheekbones, like glowing freckles. Occasionally he would move and blink wildly as the sun caught his eye, causing the deep pools to shine with mischief. Considering the lack of hair on his head Tamaki was surprised to see that Tanaka’s eyelashes were incredibly long, which begged the question: what does Tanaka look like when his hair grows out?

“   How often do you need to re-shave your head?”

   Tanka turned slowly and blinked at him, a silly smile stretching across his lips. “Interesting question to ask. Every 2 weeks or so, three maximum. Any more than that and my head just gets consumed by fuzz.”

   “Why don’t you let it grow out?”

   “I’ve gotten used to it this length and it makes it a lot easier to play volleyball. And that is the complete and only reason I shave my head.”

   Tamaki narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and watched as Tanaka’s eyes dodged his gaze. “There’s more too it then that isn’t there. I’m sensing a story here.”

   “I have no idea what you could possibly suggesting. I have my hair like this because I prefer it this way.”

   “Alrighty then, whatever you say.”

   Tanka let out a breath of relief, many people had inquired as to why he keeps his hair so strictly cut, he had spewed out many reasons with each instance. This has resulted in numerous rumours dotted around the school, none of them true, but it makes Tanaka laugh whenever he hears a new one. Why the whole school was interested in something as insignificant and his choice of hairstyle was anyone’s guess.

   “Come on then, you’ll stop pouting if I take you for a ride on one of the swans, won’t you? We can do a lap around the lake.” Tanaka clambered to his feet, dusting off the leaves and speckles of mud that clung stubbornly to the back of his jeans.

   With a bright smile Tamaki grasped onto the hand that was offered to him as he stood up. Not wanting to let go just yet fought their way back through the hedge and walked hand in hand over to the jetty and hired a bright pink pedal swan. Yes, a pink swan. No it was not a flamboyant flamingo as would have made perfect sense, but a swan that decided it would stray from the norm and flap its own fabulous fuchsia wings.

   Tanaka couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he spotted the tiny crown that was perched oh so perfectly on top of the smirking swan. It was as though it were mocking him. Goading him, daring him to step aboard and just try and make a safe lap around the lake. As soon as he stepped into the seat he immediately regretted his suggestion of the ride. His knees wobbled like that of a baby giraffe as he couldn’t quite find the point at which the swan stopped swaying violently from side to side. As he shifted his weight left the whole boat pitched wildly, when he attempted to amend his mistake the plastic swan bucked the other side.

   Tamaki was giggling happily as he sat next to the volleyball player, thinking “oh what fun these peasant contraptions are”, while joining Tanaka in rocking back and forth. The swan tilted sideways at a greater and greater angle. Rising up and down like a seesaw about to overturn. The swan had drifted away from the jetty and was riding its own waves to the centre of the lake. The water was murky and dark, probably frightfully cold with who knows what hiding in its depths.

   Well, Tamaki and Tanaka were about to find out.

   For the final time the swan went up… but instead of gracefully coming back down, it rolled. As though the plastic pedal boat had come to life and gotten a little peckish, it submerged it’s head underwater looking for a snack. The occupants of its back were thrown into the water, arms flailing.

   Reeds from the bottom licked at their feet and tangled itself in their toes. Tanaka kicked his feet keeping his head bobbing above the water as he spat out the lake water that had infiltrated his mouth, spluttering at the taste he came to a simple conclusion, “Lake water equals gross”. After shaking some of the water out of his ears Tanaka looked around for his date who was simply floating on his back without a care in the world. Tanaka was stunned, how anyone can be so relaxed after being flung from a big ass pink swan and into a lake, he had no clue.

   Suddenly Tamaki righted himself and met Tanaka’s gaze. With a sultry smile he flicked his hair out of his eyes and threw the volleyball player a wink. “As lovely as this dip is, it is rather chilly don’t you think?” With a nod and a mumbled agreement from Tanaka the two swam over to the edge of the lake and flopped onto the grassy bank. Grimacing at his soggy shirt Tamaki slowly undid the buttons, with a playful smile he addressed Tanaka, “You know, if you wanted to see me shirtless you could have just asked.”

   The other boy looked over at the half naked blond and his brain short-circuited. It went boom. Kaput. There was nothing that could be done. His mouth flopped open, eyes bulged, face turned red, the whole shebang. There was no equally flirty comment to throw back, no teasing quip, it was all just gone, Tanaka’s brain had been completely wiped of everything other than the sight before him. What was a sentence, how did words work? That knowledge had left as well. “hummenah, huhaa”

   Tamaki blinked blankly, “Pardon me?”

   “Erm, what?”

   “What?”

   “I don’t know.”

   He blew out a breathy laugh as he watched Tanka piece back together his brain. Cognitive functions it seemed were slowly returning, in fact they came back far faster than his ability to string together a sentence. Tanka reached out a hand and gently cupped Tamaki’s face bringing it closer to his. He met blue eyes only inches from his, pausing for but a moment to appreciate their sapphire colour. His eyes closed as he pressed their lips together, softly and slowly.

   It could have been far more romantic, he could have waited until he walked Tamaki home and stolen a kiss before he went indoors, but he didn’t. He decided that there and then, while they were both dripping with lake water, while their soggy clothes clung to their skin that it was the perfect moment. A moment that could have lasted an age.

   But it didn’t.

    A distant shout broke the two apart in a panic. They looked around, the pink tail of the swan boat barely visible above the surface of the water, and a stout old man was running down the jetty waving his fist in obvious outrage, screaming as he went.

   The pair quickly jumped to their feet, frantically climbing up the grassy bank, slipping in wet shoes they ran back to the entrance of the park and out through the iron gates. They raced down the street, passed the pizza place, and around the corner. They didn’t stop until they were certain that they had left the shouting man and the sunken swan far behind them, with no hope of following.

   Both boys hunched over panting, their shortness of breath from the running or the laughing they didn’t know, didn’t care. With their clothes sodden, their noses running, and droplets of water still clinging to their hair the two were beside themselves in a violent laughing fit.

   “So, uh, Tamaki. Did you have a nice time?”

   “You mean besides the crying waitress, being pulled through a bush, falling into a lake, and being chased out of a park by a fat angry old man… yes I had a wonderful time!”

   “Good. Well I’m glad you liked the park because I think it’s safe to say that we should avoid that place for a while. No more park dates for a bit.”

   “Tell me then my dear, do you want to make this a thing? More dates, more time together.”

   “Tamaki, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

   “Oh, ah, well yes I suppose I am.”

   “God damn it! I was going to ask you that, why’d you have to ask first? I mean yes, before you worry that I don’t I definitely do. Do want to be your boyfriend that is. I mean, of course, who wouldn’t? Yes. Please. Boyfriends, yes great. Okay. That is only if you want to.”

   “Tanaka?”

   “Yes?”

   “Shut up.” Tamaki pulled Tanaka towards him and locked their lips together.

**Author's Note:**

> Are you on board yet? This ship is just, I love it so much.  
> If you want to help this bin lid sail across the ocean I am tracking Tanaki on tumblr. Please help me sail this ship. Don't let me drown alone :')  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the start of this fic! ^.^


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